Eaton Days draws hundreds for community celebration

Gianlucca Rossettie, 7, gets his face painted as part of the Eaton Days celebration on Saturday at the Eaton main park. The event included such things as a car show, barbecue, street dance and fireworks.

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Residents gathered along the streets next to Eaton High School to wait for the parade to kick off the second day of their famous Eaton Days celebration.

The parade lasted about 45 minutes and showcased a variety of local businesses and residents as they marched, drove, and biked down the streets of Eaton.

“The parade was good,” Eaton resident Theresa Gould said. “(The length of the parade) was just right. Sometimes it is longer, but this year it was the right amount of time.”

For Gould’s granddaughter, the parade was “awesome” and she really enjoyed getting to see all of the horses.

Hundreds of people attended the three-day celebration on Saturday, which also included events such as a scavenger hunt, fireworks, a pancake breakfast, and volleyball and baseball games.

After the parade, Gould and her family, along with several other Eaton residents headed over to the Eaton Town Park to enjoy vendors, food, and good company.

“Eaton Days is good because it is about the community coming together and community people coming out once a year to celebrate,” Gould said.

The atmosphere at the park mirrored that of a large block party. Groups of people milled about as greetings were shouted to passersby.

In addition to the parade and the fair in the park, Eaton Days also provided residents with a classic car show located just outside of the park.

There, dozens of old cars, shined in prime condition, lining the streets outside of Eaton High School.

For Warren Seiler, coming out to enjoy the car show with his wife is a tradition. They come and show his 1955 turquoise Chevy in the car show every year. Saturday, the car was decked out like it was at a drive-in, with an old tray hanging from the window and a burger and fries sitting on top of it.

“I just love it. It is lots of fun,” Seiler said. “There are lots of cars today so it is real full, and it is nice to see.”

In the park, booths showcasing many of the businesses that appeared in the parade were present as people ate, mingled, and did a little shopping,

“This is a good event,” said Heather Raffleson, one of the business owners at the fair. “It is family friendly, and we are a small store who makes homemade stuff, so it has been nice to come out and interact with our customers face to face.”

She said the day was great.

“It is amazing here,” she said. “It is perfect weather, a great location, and awesome people.”